Family affairs

By: Zdenko Kahlina

When Neven Met Sam…Neven met Sam at the going away party for his good friend Elisabetta Chiodo, on September 23, 2006… and they have been together ever since!Elisa was moving permanently to Vancouver, so on that day she had a party at the night club called “The Bank”. She invited her friends and co-workers to come and party with her one last time in Edmonton. There was a nice group of people and everybody started drinking and dancing and mingling with other people at the bar.

Only one of Elisa’s co-workers actually showed up and that was Sam. Sam was actually at another close friend’s birthday party that evening and was supposed to come with another friend that worked with her at Royal Alexandra. Unfortunately that friend backed out at the last minute and Sam (very uncharacteristically) came to The Bank by herself. If she hadn’t decided to leave her friend’s birthday party to come out for Elisa’s party, whom she knew very little through work, they probably would not have ever met.

Neven and Sam, with Elisa that first night at the bar when they met.

Neven’s story:When we met, it wasn’t love at first sight or anything like that, but there was a definitive attraction from both of us. We hung out with the group, drinking and dancing, Sam and I talked very little (mostly exchanging glances from across the room). I remember thinking that I wanted to be there for Elisa as this was her last night in Edmonton so I didn’t want to spend the whole night talking to her friend. We went to a couple of other places and drank more and danced more, eventually the group thinned down to just 3 guys and 2 girls (Elisa and Sam) and we went to one of the guy’s apartment downtown. We sat and talked there for a while and when it was time to go home Sam needed a ride home (south side) I didn’t offer her a ride because I was from north side and it was 4 or 5 am and I selfishly wanted to go home and not drive to south side, so she got a ride with one of the other guys.

The next day I called Elisa and asked her for Sam’s phone number but she didn’t give it to me right away, she wanted to ask Sam if it was OK first. Later I found out that “the other guy” wanted her number also but Sam decided to tell Elisa to give me her number (thinking I was a tall handsome BLOND Croatian guy). She must have been pretty drunk that night when we met, because when I showed up to pick her up for our first date she was surprised to see me as she was expecting a blond Croatian guy.

For our first date, we went to Yanni’s Tavern and ended up talking the night away, we shared childhood stories, dating disasters and other funny topics. Right away I could feel the connection was stronger than with any other girls I ever went on a date with. We were comfortable and open with each other as if we have known each other for years. We went on a second date the very next day and we walked through the river valley park for about 3 or 4 hours, just talking. By the time we had dated for a month we have already developed relationship as strong as if it had lasted for years. I could tell then, that this relationship was going to last forever.

Sam’s story:September 23, 2006 was a very busy night for me. I had a soccer party, a 30th birthday party and a moving away party to go to. After the soccer party, I went to my friend’s 30th birthday, and didn’t want to leave, as all my really close friends were there.

However, I’d promised Elisa that I would go to the Bank for her going away party, so I went to the bar by myself to meet up with her ( I was supposed to go with another friend, but she’d bailed on me earlier in the day).

While we were in the line up to get into the Bank, Elisa introduced me to her friends and her sister. Neven was there and she introduced me to him and her sister together, so I thought they were a couple. It took me a while to figure out that they actually weren’t! I remember dancing though out the night with Elisa and Neven, and thinking, He’s kinda cute! We went to a couple of different places that night, and at the end of the night we went our separate ways.

The next day, I was with a girlfriend of mine (the one who was supposed to come with me to Elisa’s party). I was complaining about being single and that I was with single guys the night before, and none of them were interested in me! That night, Elisa phoned me, telling me that two of her friends wanted my number. I said “give my number to that guy who’s name starts with “N”". I couldn’t remember his name, all I knew is that it was different! He phoned me a couple of days later to go on a date, and the rest is history!

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